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Blade Runner: The Final Cut (UK - HD)

Let me preface this review by explaining that I am probably not the most qualified person in the world to review the final incarnation of Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic. Don't get me wrong, I like it well enough, but I don't have the kind of encyclopaedic knowledge required to do justice to a film with such a convoluted history. However, as the only UK-based contributor with an HD DVD player the task of reviewing Blade Runner: The Final Cut fell to me. The film is so well known I don't really think there's anything I can say that hasn't already been said before and I doubt there are too many people who are going to be swayed by my review of the feature itself. No, my job is to assess the quality of this new high-definition release of Ridley Scott's Final Cut. I hope the following is of some use.

Feature

Blade Runner is set in Los Angeles of the year 2019; a perpetually dark and stormy place where artificially-engineered lifeforms known as replicants are able to walk amongst humans unnoticed. Replicants are used off-world as slave labour, performing all of the tasks deemed too menial or dangerous for human beings to undertake. After a bloody revolt replicants, or 'skin jobs', have been declared illegal on Earth and a special police department has been created to deal with any troublesome specimens - they are the Blade Runners. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is one such Blade Runner who has been pulled out of retirement and charged with hunting down and 'retiring' a group of advanced 'Nexus-6' replicants. The replicants, Roy (Rutger Hauer), Zhora (Joanna Cassidy), Leon (Brion James) and Pris (Daryl Hannah), have returned to Earth in search of a way to extend their limited four-year lifespans (a fail-safe device installed by their creators). During the course of his investigation Deckard meets and falls in love with a replicant named Rachael and beings to question what it truly means to be 'human'.

Research reveals that there have been no less than seven different versions of Blade Runner to date. Of those I have previously seen/owned both the original theatrical cut on VHS and the 1992 Directors Cut on DVD. I haven't watched either for some time, but my strongest memories of the theatrical version are the emotionless Harrison Ford voice-over and the 'happy' ending. Personally I've always preferred the Director's Cut, which I find considerably more atmospheric due to the removal of the voice-over and slightly more challenging because of the ambiguity surrounding the character of Deckard. This Final Cut further refines the Director's Cut with a number of subtle (and not so subtle) changes, which are summarised below:

The shot of Deckard waiting to eat at the White Dragon has been shortened due to the removal of the voice-over

All previously deleted violent scenes have been restored

When Bryant and Deckard are looking at the Nexus-6 profiles, Bryant describes Leon's job

Bryant's line is changed to 'Two of them got fried running through an electrical field', eliminating the 'sixth replicant' plot hole

When Gaff and Deckard first arrive at Leon's apartment, the landlord says 'Kowalski'

When we are first introduced to Batty the background has been changed to match the rest of the scene (he now appears as if he is in a phone booth when Leon finds him)

Deckard's conversation with the snake merchant Abdul Ben Hassan has been fixed so that the dialogue is no longer out of sync

Numerous crowd shots have been restored, such as two strippers wearing hockey masks and a shot of Deckard talking to another police officer

The original full-length version of the unicorn dream sequence has been restored

During Deckard's pursuit of Zhora, Joanna Cassidy's face has been digitally superimposed over that of the stunt double

A scar on Deckard's face after the 'retirement' of Zhora has been removed for continuity reasons

When Batty confronts Tyrell he now says 'I want more life, father' (rather than the more common 'I want more life, fucker')

When Batty releases the dove, the skyline now matches that of 2019 L.A.

I found this to be the most complete and satisfying version of the film yet, but whether that will be the case for others could depend largely on their preferred version of the film. Because I've always favoured the Director's Cut I welcomed the various trims and continuity fixes, which tighten things up without radically altering the plot. Scott is to be commended not only for bringing his preferred version of the film to the screen, but for allowing the other versions to be released simultaneously to stand on their own merits.

Video

Last year I bought the remastered standard definition release of Blade Runner on DVD but never actually got around to watching it. This means that my last viewing of the film was back in 2001 with Warner's original DVD release, which had more in common with VHS than DVD. Because of this it's safe to say that the 2.40:1 1080/24p VC-1 encoded transfer found on this HD DVD release was a revelation.

Scott and his creative team crafted a stunning vision of a neon-bathed dystopian future, which is brought to life in a way never-before-seen on home screens. The level of detail in the image far surpasses any previous release and it's now possible to pick out individual drops of rain, the blood vessels in the eye seen in the opening sequence and even the fly on Leon's chin during the VK test. The image now has real depth to it, appearing almost three-dimensional at times. Obviously this sort of clarity is something you would expect from a high definition release, but it is not the only improvement. Colour rendition is also far superior to previous releases, with even last year's remastered edition put firmly in the shade by the vibrancy of the new high-definition transfer.

Shadow detail - critical for such a dark film - is much better than previous releases as a result of improved brightness and contrast. The image is also free from digital compression artefacts and the edge enhancement that plagued the first release is nowhere in sight. If I had to make one criticism it would be that the print used wasn't completely free from film artefacts, so there are still a number of nicks and scratches on show, but they aren't particularly obtrusive and I had to look hard to spot them. However, given the age and history of the film this is still a remarkable restoration effort and a fine transfer.

Audio

For its HD DVD début Blade Runner arrives with an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. The cover erroneously lists the presence of an English Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack, but in reality there are only French, German, Italian and Spanish variants. A brief comparison between the tracks reveals a definite advantage to the TrueHD track, which is sharper, richer and more satisfying than the Plus tracks. Whether this is due to the fact that the other tracks are dubs and therefore subject to some sort of reduction in levels is a possibility, but without the presence of an English Plus track I can't be certain.

I found the Dolby 2.0 Surround track on the previous releases of Blade Runner functional if unspectacular. While atmospheric in places it was limited by a lack of directionality to the effects and had a rather dull, flat sound overall. This is not the case with the Final Cut, which for the first time ever features a myriad of discrete effects - thunder claps, rain falls and futuristic spinners are placed around the soundstage with pinpoint accuracy. While not the most dynamic of soundtracks bass is powerful when necessary, one of the best examples of which is when Deckard fires his gun at the fleeing Zhora with a satisfying boom.

However, the real star of the the soundtrack is the brilliant Vangelis score, which is responsible for most of the picture's atmosphere. It literally fills the room, often intentionally eclipsing all effects and dialogue, sweeping the viewer away on a wave of aural excellence. However, the soundtrack is not without its problems. While the rest of the mix sounds fresh and crisp, dialogue sounds like it comes straight out of a movie released in 1982, often sounding muffled and muted. Some of the looping work is also fairly ropey, especially during the re-recorded conversation with snake merchant Abdul Ben Hassan. While the dialogue now matches the actors' lips, it is very indistinct. At first I thought this might be a problem with my set-up, because dialogue as a whole had been fairly quiet up until that point, but when I switched to the foreign dubs the dialogue was much clearer.

The change from 'fucker' to 'father' when Batty addresses Tyrell is also very jarring, as the 'father' line apparently comes from the workprint. The most recent comparable release I can think of is the 2004 edition of A New Hope, in which the quality of dialogue frequently fluctuated. Blade Runner is at least more consistent, so I wasn't constantly distracted by the changing audio, but there's still room for improvement. Even with all of that said this is still a very solid soundtrack and undoubtedly the best the picture has ever sounded on a home entertainment format.

Extras

Sometimes reviewing can be a fairly daunting task, especially when you're handed a disc with three commentary tracks and a three-and-a-half hour documentary! Most people will probably be interested in the first commentary track, which is a solo effort by director Ridley Scott. Alien aside, I've never really listened to a Ridley Scott commentary track for any great length of time, but this Blade Runner track is engaging throughout with few periods of dead air. It's definitely the first port of call if you're looking for a greater understanding of the film as a whole, especially because Scott gives some very definite opinions on the whole 'is he or isn't he' issue surrounding Deckard.

The second commentary features co-screenwriters Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, along with producer Michael Deeley and production executive Katherine Haber. The commentators were recorded in pairs—Fancher and Peoples, Deeley and Haber—and the track flips back and forth between them throughout. Obviously the production staff talk about the more technical aspects of the film making process, but I was more interested in the interaction between the screenwriters. They get along fairly well considering Peoples was essentially brought in to replace Fancher, who was instrumental in getting the project off of the ground in the first place.

The third and final track features visual futurist Syd Mead, production designer Lawrence G. Paul, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer. Unsurprisingly this track tends to focus more on the design and effects side of things, which will be of great interest to people who enjoy hearing about such things. The commentary was obviously recorded at some point before the Final Cut was completed, because the participants are still talking about continuity errors in the Zhora scene and how they might be fixed with the aid of new digital effects techniques.

The second disc is a standard DVD devoted entirely to the documentary 'Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner'. We've already established that the slipcase contains a number of inaccuracies, so I wasn't particularly surprised to find that, contrary to the information given, the documentary is actually presented at 576i (not 480i/480p as suggested). While it would have been nice to have a full 1080p version of the documentary, at least having a standard definition DVD afforded me the flexibility to watch in different rooms of the house.

Basically this is the most comprehensive documentary I've yet seen on DVD, even surpassing the benchmark set by the Alien Quadrilogy boxed set. There's little point in trying to write about everything that's covered in the documentary, because it really needs to be seen to be appreciated, so I'll just provide a brief overview of things. As with most documentaries of its type, 'Dangerous Days' is split into a number of chapters (eight) that deal with every aspect of production. We begin with the genesis of the project and move through pre-production, casting, the production itself, art design, special effects, critical reception and more.

The documentary includes interviews, both new and old, with virtually everyone involved in the production of the film, along with several authors and and celebrity admirers (including Guillermo del Toro and Final Cut producer Charles de Lauzirika). Before viewing I was familiar with some of the woes that befell the production, but 'Dangerous Days' really fills in the back-story and elaborates on the specifics. However, I would have liked a more thorough exploration of the legal limbo that saw the film languish on the shelf for many years prior to this release. It is briefly touched upon, but no one ever really comes out and says 'this person was being a dick'. Oh, before I forget, there's also a short introduction to the Final Cut from Ridley Scott himself. It doesn't provide any information that can't be found elsewhere, but it's nice to have it on the disc all the same.

Overall

It is regrettable that I was unable to view the alternate versions of the film and the additional bonus material found in the Ultimate Edition, but unfortunately UK consumers have not been offered a choice between this two-disc set and the five-disc set available in the US. Had the Ultimate Edition been available on this side of the pond I would no doubt be awarding full marks in the extras category, but as things stand this HD DVD release is still impressive. Some minor film artefacts aside, the transfer takes an already gorgeous film and makes it look better than ever, while the Dolby TrueHD track thoroughly immerses the viewer in Ridley Scott's futuristic world and only just loses out on a higher score due to some minor dialogue issues. Add to that a bunch of interesting commentary tracks and an outstanding feature-length documentary, and the end result is a must-have HD DVD release.

* Note: The images on this page are not representative of the HD DVD edition.

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Takeshi, I know Ridley Scott is on record as saying he prefers his original cut of 'ALIEN', and that it was the studio that wished for his 'Director's Cut', but it was still he who approved that inferior cut ultimately. Why he made it so DARK, and colour-tampered with it so much, as compared to retaining the vibrant colour-timing of the original, I'll never know, except that perhaps Peter Jackson's 'colour-grading' efforts on his LOTR Trilogy might have influenced him at the time...

Also, as well as not including some of the excellent shots / scenes that were available on the 'ALIEN QUIDROLOGY' boxset extras, and which I've listed in previous 'BLADERUNNER' review threads on here, he also chose to REMOVE / EDIT some much loved previously already nicely paced scenes from the 'theatrical' edit of 'ALIEN'... I wanted more, yes, but I certainly didn't want less.. And he seems to have gone about this 'BLADERUNNER:FINAL CUT' in the same way, in that although he has tweaked and added some new stuff ( not very much, or as much as is available, and that I'd hoped to see though... ) to this cut, some precious footage is also now GONE from this version... Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to write him a strongly worded letter of disapproval about it all...

As for Steven Spielberg's and 'Industrial Light and Magic's' additions, as well as the ridiculous loss of guns for 'walkie talkies', there was worse than that... Although the new shots of 'E.T.' bounding through the woods, and just missing his spaceship are excellent, the same cannot be said for his jarringly FAR LIGHTER brown colouring compared to the original animatronic model, along with the noticeable 'Disneyfying' of 'E.T.'s' eyes compared to the original. Although the new scenes themselves were great, I was not impressed by these choices on the CGI creation by ILM...

Chris Gould wrote: I'll never see them cause I won't be buying the boxed set.

Okay. Think along the lines of the individual chapter headings/titles for Dangerous Days. The horizontal slash/line on black (mid screen) followed by BLADE RUNNER (in a huge red font) emerging above and below the line. BLADE (top) RUNNER (bottom). Then follows a different meaning of Replicant which seems to go on for a full page.

So there. Not really a surprise or a secret just, YIKES! Run for your lives it's the BLADE RUNNER.

I thought the whole difference between "father" and "f***er" was deliberately blurred? As in, it could be either?

Cervantes wrote: Yes, original 'ALIEN' theatrical version, and 'E.T.-THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL' theatrical version, I am referring to you as examples of superiority, as compared to the interesting to compare, but ultimately inferior, 'Director's Cut' and 'Special Edition'... In case of Alien, the director agrees with you :p the new cut was called "Director's Cut" because it was the studio's idea, Ridley Scott himself prefers the theatrical cut.

And as far as E.T. goes...I think everyone can agree with you there. Walkie-talkies wtf?

Chris Gould wrote: So what's different about the workprint titles then? And has anyone else noticed that the audio (well dialogue) is a bit muted?

Well Chris, how can I put it? They're just not Blade Runner. I can describe them if you like but that would only spoil the surprise.

As for the sound, I haven't had the chance for a good sit down with all the discs yet, work, family etc. so I couldn't say if it's muted in places. I suppose, given the age of the film and the multiple sources they had to use to cobble together a complete track, its not surprising there are a few dips in level or slight distortions along the way.

I agree with those that say it is ALWAYS preferable to get the option of any previous versions also, whenever a newly tinkered-with, additional cut is brought out...as I sometimes have PREFERRED the original edit, whose scenes and colour-timing have already been burned into my memory in the past, and who's original 'creative choices' I have preferred, and would far rather be able to re-watch if I wish to... Yes, original 'ALIEN' theatrical version, and 'E.T.-THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL' theatrical version, I am referring to you as examples of superiority, as compared to the interesting to compare, but ultimately inferior, 'Director's Cut' and 'Special Edition'...

Oh, and although I know I will love the spruced-up bits on this new 'BLADERUNNER:THE FINAL CUT', with it's extra scenes of mask-wearing 'dancers' etc., I know I will weep over any actual TRIMMED scenes, and the totally misjudged loss of 'F***ER' dialogue for the weaker 'FATHER' line...

Intergalactic Ponce wrote: A point of interest, the 2nd disc from the BD has a different disc label artwork to the 2nd disc in the 5 DVD set. They also have different serial numbers. That is how I sort of determined that someone hadn't just popped in a SD disc 2 from another set into the BD. Interesting. I guess the artwork is different to reflect the two packages.

I'd bet the contents are the same though.

m@tt wrote: Take it easy. I'm eager to see the new cut just as long as the original is included. No film belongs to any one person but to everyone and people should see a films original release. I believe Blue was actually agreeing. I almost wrote a similar reply too then I realised what he actually said.

Chris Gould wrote: So what's different about the workprint titles then? Buy the 5 Disc UE and stop being a cheapskate with your free reviews copies

Blue-Kal-El wrote: So if it's MY movie, I can't tinker with it anymore?? NONSENSE!!

George Lucas, Oliver Stone and everybody who makes a movie has the right to make any changes as he sees fit...specially if the special effects improve, or if the time we live in allows for a more open story (dialogue, sex, violence).

We always have a choice: we can NOT buy the movie, and/or we do NOT watch the movie...

Oh, and Blade Runner is good, but not that great.

Take it easy. I'm eager to see the new cut just as long as the original is included. No film belongs to any one person but to everyone and people should see a films original release. Suppose the paintings in the national art gallery were to keep changing to keep up with modern tastes, that wouldn't be right at all, an extreme example but you get my drift. My concern is for other movies being released in the HD format we're choice is not an option. But for Blade Runner i'll enjoy along with everyone else here the new HD release.

Bravadon wrote: There isn't much point of using Blu-ray Discs when the extras are only in SD anyway.

Yeah, I can see why they've done it.It makes sense but the packaging needs to reflect that. A point of interest, the 2nd disc from the BD has a different disc label artwork to the 2nd disc in the 5 DVD set. They also have different serial numbers. That is how I sort of determined that someone hadn't just popped in a SD disc 2 from another set into the BD.

Intergalactic Ponce wrote: If you can, try to watch the opening on the Theatrical first, then Directors Cut through to the Final Cut to see the progression of improvements over the different versions. You can see visible improvements and image stability right from the Ladd Company Logo. Good idea. I didn't realise they'd improved it on the DC though. You bought from the BD and DVD?

Quote: Naughty of Warners to have disc 2 as a DVD though. Surely, they should have the fact that it is a DVD on the packaging somewhere. They did the same with The Matrix HD-DVDs. I guess they didn't as it would only mean some people would think it's the DVD.

Quote: I buy a BD in the belief that it's 100% BD, not some half n half product. At least let the buyer beware. There isn't much point of using Blu-ray Discs when the extras are only in SD anyway. It would've been nice to put Discs 2 and 4 from the Ultimate set on 1 disc but then they'd need to author different discs for the 2 disc version.

Speaking of that I'd imagine it's certainly possible the documentary would've fit on the BD but then they couldn't call it a 2 Disc SE.

Quote: I can recommend the 'All Our variant futures as well. Anyone wanting to know about the changes to the final cut shold dive in there. Thanks.

I pre-ordered the SD-DVD of the Briefcase (because the briefcase is limited, and I don't think I'll be upgrading to HD for a very long time to come) myself. It sucks that it's not coming out until 18th, no way it's gonna make it all the way to Finland before christmas.

Got the 5 disc DVD set and the BD on Monday. Stunning. What a gift from Ridley Scott to fans of Blade Runner.

I've only skimmed the surface of these discs but I can say the BD looks incredible. If you can, try to watch the opening on the Theatrical first, then Directors Cut through to the Final Cut to see the progression of improvements over the different versions. You can see visible improvements and image stability right from the Ladd Company Logo.

The work print is a bit of a shock. Wasn't expecting those opening titles.

Naughty of Warners to have disc 2 as a DVD though. I thought the wrong disc had been put in the box. Surely, they should have the fact that it is a DVD on the packaging somewhere. I buy a BD in the belief that it's 100% BD, not some half n half product. At least let the buyer beware.

Having said that, Dangerous Days is a magnificant wallow in all things Blade Runner. Had to watch it over 2 nights though.

I can recommend the 'All Our variant futures as well. Anyone wanting to know about the changes to the final cut shold dive in there.

In short, a no brainer of a buy. Even without the BD version, the 5 disc set is well worth your money.

m@tt wrote: It's a shame if i am the only one that thinks that but like i said if only out of curiosity i'll be watching the new extra special simply amazing unbelievably clever definitive (for now) edition with interest. I agree both cuts should always be included.

As to Blade Runner you guys are being rather harsh on it. I'd see the point and agree if it were a pure cash in (or only one cut was available, like the new Star Wars HD-DVD) but in this case specifically it's not.

George Lucas, Oliver Stone and everybody who makes a movie has the right to make any changes as he sees fit...specially if the special effects improve, or if the time we live in allows for a more open story (dialogue, sex, violence).

We always have a choice: we can NOT buy the movie, and/or we do NOT watch the movie...

Yeah bit of a film purist, can't help it. As long as the original theatrical releases takes precedence over updated versions on HD DVD i don't care what else is on the disc. Lets hope the Exorcist gets the original film for HD and not the more recent edition, same for Star Wars but i fear that wont be the case. It's easy to be dazzled by new technology and how directors can go back and change things but thats not necessarily a good thing. It's a shame if i am the only one that thinks that but like i said if only out of curiosity i'll be watching the new extra special simply amazing unbelievably clever definitive (for now) edition with interest.

Quote: I'll probably only ever watch the final cut and the theatrical - once, just to see how it differs. You'll want to watch the European Thearical Cut it's the same as the one shown in America but is slightly more violent.

I watched The Theatrical Cut on VHS a few years ago it's virtually the same as the 1992 Director's Cut but with that awful voice over, no (or is it less?) Unicorn sequence and an even worse tacked on ending. I was expecting it to be very different but actually it's mostly the same. Due to the voice over and ending it definitely loses a lot of it's power though.

Thanks Jurgie.

Quote: What director or any artist for that matter is 100% happy with what they create? True but when it's better like Blade Runner I'm happy. Star Wars this isn't.

Quote: They could go on for ever and ever tinkering away on these films. Whos to say he wont change his mind in ten years time and make another change? Because Ridley Scott has never done it before. Except for Blade Runner all is films only have one Director's Cut at most, many only have one cut. Scott has said Hannibal for instance already is his Director's Cut.

It's well known the Alien: Extended Cut is only called the Director's Cut because Fox wanted it. Ridley Scott is no George Lucas (or Oliver Stone). Now there's a man who needs to learn to let go!

Ridley Scott has the habit of knowing when his works needs fixing as opposed to no knowing when to let go. Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut is in another league of quality, it doesn't even feel like the same film.

Quote: Different cuts, sound effects, colour tints, digital munipulation ect ect seems to be going on with many a DVD. To me there is a huge difference between a Director's Cut and an Extended Cut. The latter is often a cash in, the former maybe too but not always, not often in fact.

Particularly when all previous versions are being released anyway, go watch the Theatrical Cut if you want to. You're alone in wishing only the original Theatrical Cut of Blade Runner existed

Bradavon wrote: m@tt wrote: The altering of movies for DVD & HD DVD, subtle or not, has got to stop though. A good reason not to ditch laserdiscs and in some cases video. If only Criterion could oversee every release at least they would endeavour to remain faithful to the original material. You're wrong Scott was never happy with Blade Runner it's him who wanted a new DC not just so they could re-release a new cut.

As to being faithful to source material an alternate Ultimate Edition is also being released with all previous versions anyway.

What does Criterion have to do with anything? Even they've released films in DD5.1 when they were Stereo in the cinema, they usually do this when a 6 tack master was also available but even so.

Nic Mall wrote: On the plus side for the UK not getting a 5 disc HD-DVD, they are region free so you can just import the US one...right? Certainly in the case of HD-DVD and very likely in the case of BD. Warner don't support BD Regional Coding so it's likely the BD will be Region Free. What director or any artist for that matter is 100% happy with what they create? They could go on for ever and ever tinkering away on these films. Whos to say he wont change his mind in ten years time and make another change? Different cuts, sound effects, colour tints, digital munipulation ect ect seems to be going on with many a DVD. I'm all for a clean print with clear sound on HD DVD but i think it's gotten out of hand. It's just a novelty really, adding something here taking something out there.

Bradavon wrote: Was it given a nationwide release in America? I still cannot believe it was so badly handled in the UK theatrically.

It came to a decent amount of theaters here in the States, but wasn't anywhere near a wide release. I was fortunate enough to get to see it on the big screen last month, though I had to drive over an hour to do so. It was entirely worth the trip (especially since it was in glorious, glorious digital.) I was born in 1982 and so I, obviously, have never had the chance to see the film at the cinema before. I must say, it was one of the great movie-going experiences of my life. And what made it even cooler was to take my wife, who had never seen it before, and get to pick her brain on the great replicant controversy (her verdict: she pretty much figured Deckard was a replicant from the get-go, and took it for granted that anyone would assume otherwise.) That was fun, and we had a spirited discussion on the way home. I'm eagerly awaiting my R1 4-disc version to arrive the week before xmas (a gift to myself) - I couldn't afford the 5 disc, and to be honest, I'll probably only ever watch the final cut and the theatrical - once, just to see how it differs. With this, and American Gangster, it has been a great year for Ridley Scott fans!

m@tt wrote: The altering of movies for DVD & HD DVD, subtle or not, has got to stop though. A good reason not to ditch laserdiscs and in some cases video. If only Criterion could oversee every release at least they would endeavour to remain faithful to the original material. You're wrong Scott was never happy with Blade Runner it's him who wanted a new DC not just so they could re-release a new cut.

As to being faithful to source material an alternate Ultimate Edition is also being released with all previous versions anyway.

What does Criterion have to do with anything? Even they've released films in DD5.1 when they were Stereo in the cinema, they usually do this when a 6 tack master was also available but even so.

Nic Mall wrote: On the plus side for the UK not getting a 5 disc HD-DVD, they are region free so you can just import the US one...right? Certainly in the case of HD-DVD and very likely in the case of BD. Warner don't support BD Regional Coding so it's likely the BD will be Region Free.

m@tt wrote: Will be very interested to see this. The altering of movies for DVD & HD DVD, subtle or not, has got to stop though. A good reason not to ditch laserdiscs and in some cases video. If only Criterion could oversee every release at least they would endeavour to remain faithful to the original material.

In this case it's not an issue because every version of the film that's ever been widely available is included in the set. It's not Scott is denying the existence of the original cut.

Dialogue is an issue with this release, but the rest of the soundtrack sounds excellent, which is why I decided on a slightly lower score. I'm sure it'll be getting 8s and 9s everywhere else though The video really does look impressive; very film-like and the artefacts are barely noticeable so they don't really distract.

Will be very interested to see this. The altering of movies for DVD & HD DVD, subtle or not, has got to stop though. A good reason not to ditch laserdiscs and in some cases video. If only Criterion could oversee every release at least they would endeavour to remain faithful to the original material.

It's interesting to see the second disc is a DVD, Warner keep pulling that one. You can see why Warner do it, it saves them money using the same extras discs for their DVD, HD-DVD and BD releases.

No doubt the fourth disc of the 5 disc set is also a DVD.

Mal wrote: One of those screens is a short walk from where I live, think the last showing is on Thursday. Was thinking about going as I've never watched the film in full. I was so annoyed to learn none are anywhere near me. I cannot believe you've never watch it in full.

I thought it was one week, maybe it's two weeks then. It opened on the 23rd of November.

Quote: but unfortunately UK consumers have not been offered a choice between this two-disc set and the five-disc set available in the US. That is annoying. It's a pity DVD is getting the 2 Disc SE and Ultimate set but HD isn't.

Bradavon wrote: I so wanted to see this in the cinema but they only showed it on 5 cinema screens across the country for 1 week. Grrr! One of those screens is a short walk from where I live, think the last showing is on Thursday. Was thinking about going as I've never watched the film in full.